I know nothing about Ice hockey and have never played any version before
but I love this demo.
even as a newcomer who doesnt understand the rules it is still a pass, move, shoot game at the end of the day.
I love the instant-ness of the passing and having to work space quickley to get a shot off. I also like how its about moving the 'goal keeper (?)' around to make the small gap that you can score in.
I have used the fake shots, quick one-twos etc in the same way I did with PES of old to score rewarding goals.
plus the 'ball' lol physics are fantastic
maybe my lack of understanding the game and the lack of history with Hockey games lets me enjoy the game in a way that hardcore Hockey players cant?
With PES and FIFA i am critical because I have ben playing them for years.
I cant wait to 'deke' the 'goal keeper' either, something I havent yet mastered! and im sure there are loads of differant play stayles and techniques that I havent used yet, but if I am enjoying it with only basic controls, the game must be decent at least.
I have been playing the game on Normal and PRO settings as I wanted it to be less arcady but not to difficult to start with.